With former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez now charged with the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd, a hot-button topic is how much his football past played a part in leading to his current state.

There's no doubt his former college coach at the University of Florida, Urban Meyer, has been facing most of that heat. But as far as Hernandez's time on the field as a pro with the Patriots, there was no reason to think it could ever get so bad for him off the field.

According to the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, not only did Hernandez pass all his drug tests during his three full seasons in New England, but one team source also noted that Hernandez did "everything football-wise" that coach Bill Belichick asked of him. That included punctuality, a dedication to practice and conditioning, and a receptiveness to coaching. It all added up to Hernandez becoming a budding young offensive star when in uniform.

As far as what the Patriots wanted from Hernandez away from the game, that was a different story. They knew that he had some troubling associates from his past in Connecticut, and per the Globe, "suggested" that he stopped hanging out with them. That turned out to be the only point of contention between Hernandez and the team, but from what we know now, not an insignificant one.

Unfortunately, Hernandez's professionalism while working for the Patriots ended up being outweighed by the worst-possible scenario in his personal life.